Denver voters voiced their dissatisfaction with City Council members Tuesday, forcing three incumbents into a politically dangerous June 4 runoff.
The council was guaranteed to gain at least two new faces after the elections, due to retirements. Eight other council members faced contested elections, several in crowded fields. In all except the at-large council races, a runoff occurs when all candidates fail to gain more than 50 percent of the total votes.
The array of choices gave Denver voters opportunities to greatly reshape a city government struggling to manage development as the Front Range grows at a rapid clip. The city’s clerk and recorder position was open and will go to a runoff, as well.
Below are the final, unofficial election results, released Wednesday. Not listed are Districts 2, 6 and 7, where Councilmen Kevin Flynn, Paul Kashmann and Jolon Clark, respectively, ran unopposed.
At large seats
The race for two at-large seats — unlike the races for district seats on the City Council — cannot go to a runoff. Instead, the top two candidates win outright, which was good news for the incumbents. At-large Councilwomen Robin Kniech and Debbie Ortega both won re-election Tuesday.
Kniech won 69,579 votes, or 28 percent of the total. Ortega took 91,406 votes, or 36 percent.
District 1
Northwest Denver’s District 1 had an open race after Councilman Rafael Espinoza decided not to pursue a second term. Seven candidates competed Tuesday, a field larger than that of the mayoral race, to represent a district with some of the city’s most intense redevelopment.
Espinoza’s former aide and chosen successor, 40-year-old Amanda Sandoval, won 5,735 votes, or 31 percent. She will face Mike Somma in a runoff after he took 3,124 votes, or 17 percent.
District 3
District 3, on the west side, also had an open race, due to Councilman Paul Lopez’s term limit. Four candidates filed to fill his shoes in a district that includes Broncos Stadium at Mile High and appears poised for development but, in the meantime, includes some of the city’s poorest parts.
Jamie Torres and Veronica Barela will compete in a runoff to represent the seat. Torres, 42, is director of Denver’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. She earned 2,679 votes, or 40 percent.
Barela, 73, is the former president of the NEWSED Community Development Corp. She took in 2,410 votes, or 36 percent, on Tuesday.
District 4
In the southeastern District 4, Councilwoman Kendra Black sought re-election to a second term against challenger Colleen Zahradnicek and won easily.
Black, who billed herself as a moderate and pragmatic voice on the City Council, won with 12,144 votes, or 78 percent. Zahradnicek, who vowed to fight corruption in city government, had 3,458 votes, about 22 percent.
District 5
Three challengers in District 5, on the east side, lined up to challenge Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman: Michele Fry, Stephen Replin and Amanda Sawyer. Next month, Susman and Sawyer will face off.
Sawyer, 40, had raised concerns about the rate of development along East Colfax. She earned 6,707 votes, or 41 percent. Susman, 71, is a self-described “neo-urbanist” who has said east Denver should welcome growth, earning her pushback. She took in 5,928 votes, 36 percent.
District 8
Northeast Denver’s District 8 includes the neighborhoods of East Colfax, Park Hill and Stapleton. On Tuesday, it featured one of the largest races, with five challengers taking on Councilman Chris Herndon.
Herndon, a 41-year-old seeking a third term, narrowly avoided a runoff. He won 9,386 votes, or 51 percent, in the crowded field. Blair Taylor, a 41-year-old from Park Hill, came in second with 3,712 votes, about 20 percent.
District 9
Councilman Albus Brooks faced three challengers as he sought a third and final term on the council in District 9, which includes parts of downtown and Five Points, among other city hot spots.
Brooks was not able to avoid a runoff, taking 7,513 votes, or 45 percent. Candi CdeBaca won 7,224 votes, or 43 percent, and will face Brooks in the head-to-head matchup June 4.
“I came here tonight to accept a loss or a win, but the universe gave me 28 days,” CdeBaca told supporters at a watch party Tuesday night.
District 10
In the center of the city is District 10, which includes Capitol Hill, Uptown, Cherry Creek, Country Club and Congress Park, among other neighborhoods. Councilman Wayne New ran for re-election to a second term against three challengers there Tuesday. He, too, could not avoid a runoff election.
New took 7,838 votes, or 39 percent. Chris Hinds will face him after earning 6,086 votes, or 30 percent.
District 11
District 11, in Denver’s far northeast corner, has been represented by Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore for the past four years and will be for another four after she easily defeated Christine Alonzo.
Gilmore took home 6,274 votes, or 74 percent. Alonzo won 2,231 votes, or 26 percent.
Clerk and recorder
In a citywide election to replace retiring Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson, there were three candidates: term-limited Councilman Lopez, Sarah McCarthy and Peg Perl. That race, too, will require a runoff.
Lopez led the field with 52,994 votes, or 37 percent. He will face Perl in the runoff after she earned 46,976 votes, or 33 percent of the total.
